Motor vehicles can have additional airbag modules as pedestrian airbag modules, including a gas generator and an airbag for the protection of pedestrians and for deployment in the area of an exterior of the motor vehicle, in particular on a front windscreen and/or on at least one A-column and/or on a front hood and/or on at least one fender. Such airbag modules serve the purpose of providing impact protection in the area of the front windscreen or windshield, respectively, and/or A-column and/or the front hood as well as in the area of the fenders in response to a collision with pedestrians, bicyclers or other similar road users. The airbag thus deploys in the area of the front windscreen and/or of at least one A-column and/or of the front hood and/or of at least one fender, so that pedestrians, bicyclers or similar road users are thus additionally protected in response to an impact with the motor vehicle.
The front hood is supported in the area of the corners of the front hood in the vicinity of the front windscreen so as to be capable of being pivoted by two hinges for opening the front hood in case of service of maintenance, in order to gain access to the engine compartment. In the event of a forthcoming collision with a pedestrian or a bicycler, this is detected by a corresponding sensor and unlocking the hinges for supporting the front hood occurs, so that the front hood can thus be lifted by a device from a closed initial position into an accident position, which is partially open in the area of the front windscreen, so that the airbag can deploy towards the front windscreen, the A-pillar, the front hood and at least one fender, due to this partial opening of the front hood in the area of the front windscreen. The device for lifting the front hood in the area of the front windscreen may include a pyrotechnic propelling charge or a hydraulic or pneumatic device. In addition, an unlocking of the two hinges is also necessary with a pyrotechnic propelling charge or a hydraulic or pneumatic device. An additional device for lifting the front hood and for unlocking the hinges is thus necessary. The airbag module is arranged inside the motor vehicle at a large vertical distance to the front hood, so that the airbag needs to thus be embodied so as to be large, because the airbag has to cover a large deploying distance until it first reaches the area at the slit-shaped opening.
A safety system for a motor vehicle is known from DE 100 14 832 A1, including a device, which, in an accident situation involving a collision of the vehicle with a pedestrian, moves the front hood of the motor vehicle from its closed initial position to a position, which is lifted at least in the area of the front windscreen. The safety system includes at least one airbag device, which has at least one or a plurality of finable airbag(s), which, for damping support of the lifted hood from below and/or for large volume coverage of at least most of the front windscreen frame when the hood is lifted, can be filled so as to deploy from the direction of the front hood.